diff --git a/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/DeviceMonitor.kt b/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/DeviceMonitor.kt
index 868b2115..11ce913a 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/DeviceMonitor.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/DeviceMonitor.kt
@@ -212,6 +212,21 @@ class DeviceMonitor @Inject constructor(
         dedupedLiveDevices + nonLiveDevices
     }.replayingShare(appScope)
 
+    /**
+     * Connection-aware "primary" device for display surfaces (ongoing notification, case popup):
+     * ranks by [PodDevice.tierRank] (system-connected > live > offline) with the user's
+     * profile-list order as the tiebreaker. Unlike [primaryDevice], this does NOT blindly pick the
+     * first profile, so a worn/connected pod is surfaced even when a different profile sits higher
+     * in the list. Shared so multiple display collectors don't each re-run the combine.
+     */
+    val primaryDeviceByTier: Flow<PodDevice?> = combine(
+        devices,
+        profilesRepo.profiles,
+    ) { devices, profiles ->
+        val profileOrder = profiles.mapIndexed { index, profile -> profile.id to index }.toMap()
+        devices.primaryByTier(profileOrder)
+    }.replayingShare(appScope)
+
     private val reportedPersistFailures = mutableSetOf<String>()
 
     private suspend fun persistLiveDevices(devices: List<PodDevice>) {
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/PodDeviceTier.kt b/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/PodDeviceTier.kt
index 4736040c..361414b7 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/PodDeviceTier.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/PodDeviceTier.kt
@@ -5,8 +5,13 @@ package eu.darken.capod.monitor.core
  * lower rank = higher priority. System-connected devices come first, then
  * any live device (BLE or AAP), then profiled-but-offline.
  *
- * Distinct from [DeviceMonitor.primaryDevice] which is intentionally
- * non-tier-ranked for reaction flows that want "any profiled device".
+ * Backs [DeviceMonitor.primaryDeviceByTier], used by display surfaces (ongoing notification,
+ * case popup) that should follow the worn/connected pod.
+ *
+ * Distinct from [DeviceMonitor.primaryDevice], which is intentionally non-tier-ranked: address-
+ * and eligibility-gated reaction flows (auto-connect targets a not-yet-connected device; sleep and
+ * conversation match by the event's source address) must keep "first profiled device" semantics,
+ * which tier ranking would break.
  */
 fun PodDevice.tierRank(): Int = when {
     isSystemConnected -> 0
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/worker/MonitorService.kt b/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/worker/MonitorService.kt
index b67ab13a..3527d23b 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/worker/MonitorService.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/worker/MonitorService.kt
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ import eu.darken.capod.monitor.core.MonitorCoroutineScope
 import eu.darken.capod.monitor.core.MonitorModeResolver
 import eu.darken.capod.monitor.core.PodDevice
 import eu.darken.capod.monitor.core.ble.BlePodMonitor
-import eu.darken.capod.monitor.core.primaryDevice
 import eu.darken.capod.monitor.ui.MonitorNotifications
 import eu.darken.capod.pods.core.apple.PodModel
 import eu.darken.capod.pods.core.apple.aap.AapConnectionManager
@@ -211,7 +210,7 @@ class MonitorService : Service() {
             return
         }
 
-        val deviceFlow = deviceMonitor.primaryDevice()
+        val deviceFlow = deviceMonitor.primaryDeviceByTier
             .setupCommonEventHandlers(TAG) { "BlePodMonitor" }
             .distinctUntilChangedBy { it?.toNotificationKey() }
             .throttleLatest(1000)
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/reaction/core/popup/PopUpReaction.kt b/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/reaction/core/popup/PopUpReaction.kt
index d07e4743..ddebd9dc 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/reaction/core/popup/PopUpReaction.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/eu/darken/capod/reaction/core/popup/PopUpReaction.kt
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import eu.darken.capod.common.flow.setupCommonEventHandlers
 import eu.darken.capod.common.flow.withPrevious
 import eu.darken.capod.monitor.core.DeviceMonitor
 import eu.darken.capod.monitor.core.PodDevice
-import eu.darken.capod.monitor.core.primaryDevice
 import eu.darken.capod.pods.core.apple.ble.devices.DualApplePods
 import kotlinx.coroutines.delay
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.Flow
@@ -35,7 +34,7 @@ class PopUpReaction @Inject constructor(
 
     private val caseCoolDowns = java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap<String, Instant>()
 
-    private fun monitorCase(): Flow<Event> = deviceMonitor.primaryDevice()
+    private fun monitorCase(): Flow<Event> = deviceMonitor.primaryDeviceByTier
         .distinctUntilChangedBy {
             // Re-emit on profile changes (eligibility), raw BLE changes (content), AND the derived
             // lid state. The latter is essential: caseLidState is recovered from history, so it can
@@ -122,7 +121,7 @@ class PopUpReaction @Inject constructor(
 
     private fun monitorConnection(): Flow<Event> = combine(
         bluetoothManager.connectedDevices,
-        deviceMonitor.primaryDevice().distinctUntilChangedBy {
+        deviceMonitor.primaryDeviceByTier.distinctUntilChangedBy {
             Triple(it?.profileId, it?.reactions?.showPopUpOnConnection, it?.rawDataHex)
         },
     ) { devices, broadcast ->
@@ -208,7 +207,7 @@ class PopUpReaction @Inject constructor(
      * handles the normal close; a redundant Hide here is harmless ([PopUpWindow.close] is idempotent).
      */
     private fun monitorCaseStaleClose(): Flow<Event> = combine(
-        deviceMonitor.primaryDevice(),
+        deviceMonitor.primaryDeviceByTier,
         staleCheckTicker(),
     ) { device, _ -> isCaseOpenBroadcastFresh(device) }
         .distinctUntilChanged()
diff --git a/app/src/test/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/DeviceMonitorTest.kt b/app/src/test/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/DeviceMonitorTest.kt
index c4b5112b..4e7a9f01 100644
--- a/app/src/test/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/DeviceMonitorTest.kt
+++ b/app/src/test/java/eu/darken/capod/monitor/core/DeviceMonitorTest.kt
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package eu.darken.capod.monitor.core
 
 import eu.darken.capod.common.TimeSource
 import eu.darken.capod.common.bluetooth.BluetoothAddress
+import eu.darken.capod.common.bluetooth.BluetoothDevice2
 import eu.darken.capod.common.bluetooth.BluetoothManager2
 import eu.darken.capod.common.debug.Bugs
 import eu.darken.capod.common.debug.autoreport.AutomaticBugReporter
@@ -139,6 +140,7 @@ class DeviceMonitorTest : BaseTest() {
         aap: Map<BluetoothAddress, AapPodState> = emptyMap(),
         cache: Map<String, CachedDeviceState> = emptyMap(),
         profiles: List<DeviceProfile> = emptyList(),
+        connected: List<BluetoothAddress> = emptyList(),
         scope: CoroutineScope,
     ): DeviceMonitor {
         val blePodMonitor: BlePodMonitor = mockk {
@@ -158,7 +160,9 @@ class DeviceMonitorTest : BaseTest() {
         }
         val aapLifecycleManager: AapLifecycleManager = mockk(relaxed = true)
         val bluetoothManager: BluetoothManager2 = mockk {
-            every { connectedDevices } returns MutableStateFlow(emptyList())
+            every { connectedDevices } returns MutableStateFlow(
+                connected.map { addr -> mockk<BluetoothDevice2>(relaxed = true) { every { address } returns addr } },
+            )
         }
 
         return DeviceMonitor(
@@ -192,6 +196,51 @@ class DeviceMonitorTest : BaseTest() {
         device.isAapReady shouldBe true
     }
 
+    /**
+     * primaryDeviceByTier must follow the worn/connected pod, not profile-list order. Both profiles
+     * are live (so [DeviceMonitor.devices] lists them in profile order, first-profile-first), but
+     * only the second profile is system-connected. The old order-only selector would pick the first
+     * profile; the tier-ranked selector must pick the system-connected second profile.
+     * Regression for the persistent notification + case popup showing a stale, out-of-range device.
+     */
+    @Test
+    fun `primaryDeviceByTier prefers system-connected device over earlier-listed profile`() =
+        runTest(testDispatcher) {
+            val firstProfile = AppleDeviceProfile(
+                label = "First (out of range)",
+                model = PodModel.AIRPODS_MAX,
+                address = "AA:AA:AA:AA:AA:AA",
+            )
+            val secondProfile = AppleDeviceProfile(
+                label = "Second (worn)",
+                model = PodModel.AIRPODS_PRO2_USBC,
+                address = "BB:BB:BB:BB:BB:BB",
+            )
+            val monitor = createMonitor(
+                ble = listOf(
+                    mockLiveDualBlePodWithProfile(firstProfile),
+                    mockLiveDualBlePodWithProfile(secondProfile),
+                ),
+                profiles = listOf(firstProfile, secondProfile),
+                connected = listOf(secondProfile.address!!),
+                scope = backgroundScope,
+            )
+
+            // Sanity: order-only selection would yield the first profile.
+            monitor.devices.first().first().profileId shouldBe firstProfile.id
+
+            // Collect the settled emission: connectedDevices starts with an onStart empty list, so
+            // the first combined value sees no system-connected device. Read the last value once the
+            // real connected set has propagated.
+            var primary: PodDevice? = null
+            val job = backgroundScope.launch { monitor.primaryDeviceByTier.collect { primary = it } }
+            advanceUntilIdle()
+            job.cancel()
+
+            // Tier-ranked selection follows the system-connected (worn) profile instead.
+            primary?.profileId shouldBe secondProfile.id
+        }
+
     /**
      * Regression test for https://github.com/d4rken-org/capod/issues/483 — settings disappeared
      * when BLE went stale even though the AAP socket was still healthy.